In My View - Schools and the BNP

In the 21st century, there should be no place for racism, or for the far right's politics of hate, in our schools

The Maurice Smith review was set up to assess what measures are needed to make this a reality. But, by failing to ban the most obvious measure -banning BNP members from working in schools - the review is a missed opportunity.

Membership of the BNP is incompatible with being part of the team delivering education. In fact, the union sees it as incompatible with delivering any public services at all. Our communities are diverse, and multi-racial and public service workers must be able to treat everyone equally.

Schools should be places where children learn values of equality, fairness and inclusion - values that will help create a just and fair society. Allowing BNP members to peddle their message of hate, or the freedom to discriminate against those from ethnic minorities, flies in the face of these principles.

The second missed opportunity of the review was the little attention it paid to the role of support staff. In today's schools, support staff play a significant role in delivering education. They can also have a closer, one-on-one relationship with the pupils they work with. Support staff monitor break-times and areas such as libraries. If left unchecked, support staff who are BNP members could let racist bullying take place.

The review could have also gone one step further, and highlighted the role support staff can play in encouraging community cohesion. Research shows that support staff more closely reflect the community they serve, than teachers. Given the right training, support staff could use this advantage to spread a more inclusive atmosphere in the school and beyond.

Last year UNISON health members voted to keep the BNP out of the NHS. It has already been banned for members of the police and prison officers, for very good reasons. Children deserve to be protected from the influence of the BNP, and UNISON will be pressing for this when the promised review of the guidance set out by Maurice Smith takes place next year.

Dave Prentis, UNISON General Secretary, writing in Nursery World

Keep the BNP out

UNISON is urging voters to “kick racism into the gutter” as England and Wales prepare to go to the polls tomorrow.

Residents of 174 local council areas are eligible to vote in the 1 May elections, with around 3,920 seats up for grabs, including that of London mayor. Polling stations will be open from 7am until 10pm. UNISON has been campaigning hard in the run-up to the elections to remind voters of the dangers of allowing the racist British National Party to gain a foothold in our communities.

“The far-right BNP has to be halted,” general secretary Dave Prentis said. “I would urge everyone to get out and make sure that they use their vote to keep out their vile politics.”

Despite the smart suits and alleged concern for public services and the workers, the BNP is as dangerous as it always was, Mr Prentis stressed.

“We live in a multicultural, diverse society; our public services would crumble were it not for the thousands of immigrants who deliver them. The BNP would change all that and deliver us to the politics of hate. Our message is simple, vote for Hope not Hate and kick the politics of racism and division back into the gutter on 1 May.”

UNISON